Good morning! I hope everyone who celebrates had a happy holiday weekend, and to everyone else, I hope your weekend was also awesome.
Between children, cancer treatment and just life in general, things have been pretty hectic. I’ve often complained that I feel like I took better care of myself before I was diagnosed. My diet has definitely suffered, and too much of my spare time lately is spent “doom scrolling”.
There’s nothing wrong with comfort food and relaxing with whatever form of entertainment for a while, but I feel like it’s time to start focusing on getting myself healthy beyond fighting breast cancer. I have two Kadcyla treatments remaining (yay!). That will conclude my “active” cancer treatment. I still have years of estrogen-blocking medicine, but a pill a day is very different that multiple doctors appointments in a month, or week, and chemo fatigue. I am totally looking forward to it, but also worry that, without the constant business of treatment, I will be left feeling a little, “what now?”
To help me focus on my health, and give me some direction to all my new free time, I want to focus not just on diet, but things like aromatherapy, herbalism, yoga, meditation and journaling. These are all things I’ve thoroughly enjoyed in the past but have gotten put aside in all the chaos.
To keep me focused, I will be sharing some of that information here, both as informative articles and candid posts about my personal experiences. There will still be plenty of crafty tips and tutorials, because creating is something that I have to do. (Remembering to photograph the process and actually post about it is something I need to work on, lol.)
If you subscribe and would rather not get the new content, let me know and I will figure out how to organize my mailing list so that everyone gets the content they want. 🙂
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Aromatherapy is a useful tool for health and wellness. Learning to use essential oils safely and effectively is a bit daunting at first, though. Here are nine simple tips to get you started.
9 Tips For Aromatherapy Beginners
1. Buy One or Two Aromatherapy Books
First of all, it’s good to have a book or two to for easy reference. Choose just one or two books to start your aromatherapy library. It’s best to choose books that are general resources to begin. This gives you some basic information and helps you discover the areas in which you have the most interest. A knowledgeable author will not recommend ingesting essential oils or using them undiluted (neat) topically. Steer clear of any books recommending ingestion or neat usage.
The only possible exceptions are undiluted topical use of lavender and tea tree oil, however the safest route is always to dilute in a carrier oil.
2. Join Aromatherapy Discussion Forums
Facebook groups, Instagram pages and other forums are great resources for aromatherapy newbies. Read past discussions, ask questions, and learn from others. This is my favorite Facebook group for learning about essential oil safety: Using Essential Oils Safely.
Essential Oils
3. Choose Five or Ten Essential Oils to Start
Though you may be tempted to buy more, try to begin with just five or ten different essential oils. Because essential oils can be pricey, you may want to experiment with a few at first. Then you can invest in more if you decide to pursue aromatherapy further. Some of my favorites are lavender, tea tree, peppermint, lemon and rosemary.
4. Make Sure to Buy 100%, Pure, Unadulterated Essential Oils
When you buy essential oils, choose well-known and reputable manufacturers. Avoid anything described as synthetic, fragrance, and/or perfume oils. These are not essential oils; they contain man-made chemicals and have no aromatherapeutic value.
Further more, good quality essential oils do not have to cost a fortune. Some of my favorite brands are Now, Plant Therapy, Aura Cacia, Eden’s Garden and Garden of Life. I personally avoid the MLM brands due to some of their business practices.
5. Buy at Least One Carrier Oil
For nearly all topical aromatherapy applications, you will need to dilute essential oils with a carrier oil. Good all-purpose carrier oils include sweet almond oil, coconut oil, olive oil, and grapeseed oil.
Choose a good quality carrier oil based on the application and your skin type, and use only a few drops of essential oil(s) per ounce of carrier oil.As you learn more about essential oils, you can play around with the dilution ratios depending on your needs.
My favorites are coconut for normal to oily skin and olive for dry skin. I like these because they are easy to find just about anywhere.
6. Store Your Oils Properly
Essential oils should be stored only in dark glass containers. Since essential oils are volatile, keep the lids tightly closed. Essential oils and carrier oils should be stored away from heat and light. Carrier oils will go rancid eventually, so it’s best to buy smaller quantities.
Blending Essential Oils in Carrier Oil
7. Learn How to Do a Patch Test
Essential oils can cause adverse reactions due to allergy or sensitization over time. A patch test helps to determine whether you might react to a particular essential oil. It is important to perform a skin patch test on yourself with each new oil you want to use topically.
8. Don’t Use Aromatherapy with Children or Pets
Until you are thoroughly familiar with essential oils and associated safety issues, don’t use them on children or pets, or while pregnant or breastfeeding. Cats, in particular, may be adversely affected by essential oils. Make sure essential oils are kept out of reach of children.
9. Don’t Ingest Essential Oils
Lastly, do not ingest essential oils. When taken internally, essential oils can damage your esophagus and liver. Some essential oils that are safe to use topically may be quite toxic if taken internally. In addition, some essential oils may interact with prescription or over the counter drugs. The only safe way to ever ingest essential oils is under the care of a licensed, knowledgeable aromatherapist, encapsulated with a carrier oil and for a brief period of time to treat a specific condition. Even then, it would be best to choose another option, such as an herbal infusion or tincture or medication prescribed by your doctor. This is true even for essential oils labeled “therapeutic grade” or similar.
As you experiment with and learn more about aromatherapy, you will become more confident using essential oils. There is so much to explore, so be safe and have fun!
Essential oils and herbal supplements are not FDA approved. This information is intended for educational purposes only and should not be considered as a recommendation or an endorsement of any particular medical or health treatment. Please consult a health care provider before pursuing any herbal or aromatherapy treatments.
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So, in the dressing rooms at radiation, ladies leave post it notes with encouraging messages, cards for the next person, little trinkets, just little happy things.
I’m planning to use the three day weekend to make some little lace embroidery hearts or butterflies or bookmarks (haven’t decided which yet) and leave them in the rooms. I want to attach little notes with positive quotes to them. So, if you want to help me out, comment with your favorite positive, encouraging quote, mantra, whatever. ❤
‘This is a breast cancer and treatment post. If you don’t want to read about medical stuff, check out some of my DIYs and recipes.
I actually started this post about a week and a half ago on my last chemotherapy day. Then, I got tired, then sick a few days later and got to stress over whether I needed to go to the hospital. Luckily, all I needed was rest, antibiotics and my mom for a few days.
Today is my last chemotherapy treatment. I had an MRI done a week ago that shows all the previously affected lymph nodes to look completely normal. As for the three tumors in my breast, all that remains is wispy asymmetry in a benign pattern. “Wispy asymmetry” almost makes it sound pretty. Almost.
I’m still having a double mastectomy in June. The cancer was so diffuse and since I’m young, we’re not taking chances. It’s kind of funny how relative age is. When I was pregnant at thirty five, I was of “advanced maternal age” and it was considered a “geriatric” pregnancy. Get breast cancer at forty one and I’m young again, lol.
The chemo has made it so I won’t lose as many lymph nodes, so that is great news. Fewer lymph nodes removed means less chance of lymphedema.
Pathology from the surgery will determine if radiation is needed and if I will continue on the Herceptin and Perjeta or switch to a different targeted therapy. I’d really like to avoid radiation, if possible. For some reason, I’m more worried about radiation than chemo and surgery.
I am looking forward to having hair again. It will be nice not having to wash my hair while recovering from surgery, and being bald in summer isn’t terrible. I’m over tying scarves or wearing my wig, though, and as it gets hotter, both are uncomfortable. I need some hair to keep my scalp from getting sunburned.
I did make myself a couple of bucket hats that are easy to throw on. They turned out nicely, so I made a couple more to put in my shop. Right now, this is the only print, and I only have two available.
With the cost of everything going up, many people are turning to gardening as a way to save money on food. Depending on your location or gardening experience or abilities, a fruit or vegetable garden may seem daunting or just not possible. One way to get started that doesn’t require a huge amount of space is planting an herb garden. Dried herbs from the store are pricey, so growing your own still can help your budget while giving your food loads of fresh flavor.
Starting Your Herb Garden
Choosing Your Herbs
First you’ll want to choose the herbs that you’ll plant. You might have a hard time doing this because of the huge scope of herbs available. The most practical way to choose is to do what I did; look at what you have in your kitchen. By planting your own collection of the herbs you already use, you know you’ll get the most use from your garden. Some of the herbs you might start with include rosemary, sage, basil, dill, mint, chives, and parsley.
Don’t feel that you have to only start with these, though. If there’s an herb you’re curious about, give it a try. If plant medicine is something that interests you, research and plant a few basics like lavender, catnip or lemon balm.
Location
When choosing an area to put your herb garden, you should remember that the soil should have extremely good drainage. If the dirt gets watered and stays completely saturated, you have no chance of ever growing a healthy plant.
One way to fix the drainage problem is to dig a foot deep in the soil, and put a layer of crushed rocks down before replacing all the soil. This will allow all that water to escape, thus saving your plants.
Another way is to build a raised bed. This allows you to fill the bed with a suitable soil mix without having to dig down deep into your existing soil. Raised beds can be made from timbers, bricks or any suitable material you have available.
If you are incredibly limited on space or don’t have a yard at all, herbs are perfect for container gardens.
Getting your plants
When you are ready to begin planting herbs, you might be tempted to buy the more expensive plants from the store. However, with herbs it is much easier to grow them from seed than it is with other plants. Therefore you can save a bundle of money by sticking with seed packets. If you’re a little impatient (like me), a selectively chosen plant or two is nice for some greenery to tend while you wait for the seeds to sprout.
I personally haven’t had much luck with starting lavender or rosemary from seed, so I would choose those to get as a small plant. Plants in the mint family and basils do really well from seed, so save your money on those.
Once mints start growing, they can get out of control. The best way to prevent this problem is to plant the more aggressive plants in pots (with holes in the bottom to allow drainage, of course).
Harvesting from Your Herb Garden
When it comes time to harvest the herbs you have labored so hard over, it can be fatal to your plant to take off too much. If your plant isn’t well established, it isn’t healthy to take any leaves at all, even if it looks like it isn’t using them. You should wait until your plant has been well established for at least a few months before taking off any leaves. This wait will definitely be worth it, because by growing unabated your plant will produce healthily for years to come.
It’s a good idea to harvest from the ends of the plants as needed throughout the growing season to keep the shape and encourage new growth. The end of the season is when you’ll want to harvest and dry more of the plant for storage. Do check recommendations for the specific herbs in your garden as not all are the same.
Storing Your Herbs
Once you’ve harvested your delicious home grown herbs, you’ll want to use them year round. The easiest way to store them is drying. If you have a safe place to hang them to air dry that isn’t overly humid, that is the simplest. I also think this way preserves the most color and flavor.
You could also use a food dehydrator on the recommended settings. If not, don’t worry. You can dry them in the oven. This is easily achieved by placing them on a cookie sheet and baking them on the lowest setting, usually around 150 degrees Fahrenheit for 2 to 4 hours. After they’re sufficiently dried, store them in an airtight container such as a Ziploc bag or glass jar. I think they look beautiful in glass jars, so save any you get to upcycle as herb storage.
During the first few days of storage, you should regularly check the container and see if any moisture has accumulated. If it has, you must remove all the herbs and re-dry them. If moisture is left from the first drying process, it will encourage mildew.
Herbs are a fun, easy and useful way to get into gardening no matter what your space. I encourage you to give it a try.
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The title says it all, so if you want to skip the breast cancer talk and get back to the fun stuff, now’s your chance.
On November 1 of last year I had my first ever mammogram at age 41. The next day I found out I needed further testing and two weeks later I had a follow-up ultrasound and biopsy of two of three tumors and one of a few suspicious lymph nodes. From the appearance on the ultrasound, I was told they were about 95% likely to be cancer. On Monday of the following week (aka Thanksgiving week) it was official.
Type of Breast Cancer
Breast cancer is classified both on location and whether it has receptors for estrogen(ER+ or -), progesterone (PR+ or -), and/or HER2 growth hormone (HER2+ or -). If it’s negative for all three hormone receptors, it’s called triple negative breast cancer. I have two types: invasive ductal carcinoma that is ER+ and HER2+ and invasive lobular carcinoma that is ER+ and HER2-. All are PR-. It is also stage 2, and grade 2. Stage describes the extent and is what most people are familiar hearing. Grade is how slow or fast it’s likely to spread. Grade 2 is not as slow as 1 but slower than 3.
Genetic Testing
Because I have a family history of breast cancer, I had genetic testing. I do not have any known genes for breast cancer, such as BRCA1 or BRCA2. It did show I have two variants. That just means that those genes are still being looked at for contributing to breast cancer. Most of the time variants get moved to the harmless category, so for now having them makes no impact on treatment or advice for other family members.
Treatment
Because I’m complicated (ha!), it took some time and more test results for my oncologist to determine the best course of treatment. It also uncovered some weird activity in my left femur on a PET scan. Thankfully a bone biopsy came back negative for cancer, although we will still need to keep an eye on it. I also get to say I had someone drill into my bone while I was awake, which my weird self thinks is kind of cool. Not that I want to ever have to do it again, but since it happened I’m embracing the cool but slightly gross factor.
We knew that the best course was chemo followed by surgery, probably radiation and definitely a year of a targeted HER2 therapy called Herceptin. Which type of chemo was the question. Eventually, she decided on six rounds of TCHP for the chemotherapy, which is two chemotherapy drugs, Taxotere and Carboplatin, and two HER2 targeted therapies, the Herceptin I will continue and Perjeta.
Chemo Port
For the chemo and Herceptin infusions, I have a port. That link gives more details on what that is. When I first heard that I would need one I was definitely grossed out by the thought of it, but now that I’ve seen how much easier it makes the infusions, I’m very glad to have it. I just can’t think about it too hard because it still makes me a little squeamish.
How I’m Feeling
I receive chemo once every three weeks. So far I’ve had four rounds, so I’m over halfway done. Yes, I’m bald now, but it is about to be summer in Texas, so the timing isn’t too bad. As far as other symptoms, I mostly feel tired achy, like I have the flu for the first week, more easily tired the second week and almost normal the third week before it starts all over again.
I’ve actually been pleasantly surprised at how much easier it’s been than I was expecting. Part of that is probably the almost half a dozen anti-nausea meds they’ve given me. Between the two or three preemptive meds chemo week and the two as needed at home, my nausea is so well controlled I think I’ve managed to put on a few pounds.
Chemo day selfies from the four rounds I’ve had so far.
Annoying Side Effects
I do have a few other side effects that are more a nuisance than anything. Heartburn is way worse than usual, and I occasionally get hot flashes. The most annoying thing is chemo mouth. Basically everything tastes weird at best, like I drank nail polish remover at worst. It does make it a little hard to drink water or find things to eat when it’s bad and so far I haven’t found one thing that consistently helps. It also seems like the things that taste the best then are some of the least healthy. Like Sonic Cheddar Peppers, for example. Probably explains the few extra pounds, tbh. I also can’t stomach coffee for about a week and a half after a treatment. I should probably cut it out the whole time, but no. Just no. (Currently sipping my second cup.)
I have another round coming up next week, my last one the first week of May and then surgery the second week of June. I’ll share more on the other parts of my treatment as they happen.
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Hot rice packs are wonderful tools for easing muscle aches, cramps, and just comforting to use in cold weather. I prefer using a rice pack to an electric heating pad because you’re not tied to an electrical outlet.
A few years ago, though, I got rid of our microwave. I have some concerns about whether they are healthy, and we rarely used it anyway. Even if the potential health risks are exaggerated or non-existent, I don’t like having things that don’t get used taking up space. At the time, it was summer in Texas, I didn’t really miss my rice packs. Now that it’s cold, I wanted to find a way to heat them without caving and getting another microwave.
Please be cautious. I’ve seen some things that say anything other than a microwave is a fire-risk, so if you try to heat a rice pack in an oven, please never leave it unattended and use extreme caution. All appliances are different, so what works with mine may not work with yours.
Basic oven method
When researching, I found many people say to use an oven set to about 200 degrees Fahrenheit for thirty minutes. They also said to put the rice pack on a metal tray or roasting pan, and to have a pan or oven-safe dish of water alongside it to keep it from getting too dry.
My method
I was a little concerned that I may forget about it, and my oven doesn’t have a window so keeping an eye on it would be difficult. I do have a counter-top convection oven, so that is what use. Because the door is glass, I can see in and keep an eye on things. It also has a timer that turns the unit off once time is up, so even if I get distracted I don’t have to worry about it over-heating.
I always place the rice pack on a tray and put a dish of water in with it as others have suggested. Any rice packs I heat in the oven are made with 100% cotton fabric and thread. Synthetics melt easier and burn faster, whereas cotton can withstand a pretty high heat and burns slower, so cotton seems like a safer choice.
I started with 200 degrees Fahrenheit for 20-30 minutes. It worked, but I needed it hotter. I upped it to 300-325 degrees for 15-20 minutes. At that temperature, sometimes I have to let it cool for a minute or wrap it in a towel, but it works better for me than the lower temperature. I tend to push the limit with heat, though, so 200 degrees for thirty minutes is probably plenty for most.
Probably safer method
One other method I’ve seen is to preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, TURN IT OFF, and place the rice pack (on a tray with heatproof dish of water next to it) in the preheated oven. I haven’t tried this yet, but having the oven hot but turned off seems like it would minimize any risk of the rice pack overheating and burning. If I didn’t have the convection oven, I would probably use this method.
The standard microwave method
Using a microwave is still the recommended method. To heat rice packs in the microwave, warm it in the microwave in 15 second intervals until you reach the desired temperature. Some people recommend placing a cup of water in the microwave as well.
Basic safety
Whether you use a microwave or an oven, be mindful that they can vary in power. ALWAYS test the temperature of the rice pack before using and never leave the microwave or oven unattended while heating. You should never use heat packs on individuals who are unable to let you know if it feels too warm on their skin.
Lavender rice packs at SubEarthan Cottage
SubEarthan Cottage now offers large 100% cotton flannel rice packs. These are filled with a blend of rice and lavender buds for a pleasant hint of lavender. I sewed channels in the flannel to help keep the rice evenly distributed. They can be heated as described above, or kept in the freezer to use cold. Find all of my rice packs here.
Lavender rice packs at SubEarthan Cottage.
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